Over 90% of car aluminium recyceld in America

United States – According to a new publication from the Center for Resource Recovery and Recycling at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), the overall recycling rate for automotive aluminium currently stands at 91% in the USA. This high number is the result of the metal’s economic value which prompts ‘a concerted effort’ to recover this valuable lightweight commodity from end-of-life vehicles, researchers argue.

Entitled ‘Automotive Aluminum Recycling at End of Life: A Grave-to-Gate Analysis’, this peer-reviewed study was funded by the Aluminum Association and examines how much of the aluminium used in the USA’s light-duty automotive sector is recovered and recycled from vehicles at their end-of-life stage.

Growing aluminium use

‘We set out to detail exactly how aluminium is separated and recovered at the end of a vehicle’s service life, and findings show it is highly recyclable and is recovered and reused at very high rates,’ comments Professor Diran Apelian, founding director of WPI’s Metal Processing Institute.

‘With an eye toward reducing the nation’s energy consumption, lowering carbon emissions and increasing fuel economy, this study confirms that, as aluminium use continues to grow in the automotive sector, it also enhances energy security and environmental protections.’